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Benedicte Gravrand, Opalesque Geneva:

Despite the focus on diversity initiatives, fund management has remained stubbornly immune to gender balance, says Columbia Threadneedle Investments on International Women's Day.

Research conducted by Citywire in May 2016 found that only 7% of funds worldwide are managed by women, accounting for just 4% of assets. If you include teams that have at least one woman, the figure goes up to 14%. The figures are higher in continental Europe: in Spain, 27% of fund managers are female, while France and Italy tally 18% and 15% respectively. But not in the US. Morningstar research shows that only 10% of fund managers in the US are women, a figure which has been falling consistently since 2008. Only 2% of US industry assets are managed exclusively by women.

"These discrepancies matter deeply for a number of reasons," writes Alison Jefferis, head of corporate affairs at Columbia Threadneedle Investments. "Placing concerns about fairness of access to a highly rewarding career to one side, the industry is missing out on a huge pool of talent and resources. This pool is not only populated with individuals who are just as capable as those who currently work in the industry, but it could potentially bring an entirely different and valuable skill set into the mix."

Evidence shows that characteristics of female brains may in fact make them particularly well-equipped to be fund managers. For example, women are less prone ......................

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